From Confederation in 1867 up to the present day, A History of Canada in 15 Moments investigates 15 key moments in the making of modern Canada. Starting with the treatment of First Peoples and the establishment of the federal union, it takes the reader through the decades to explore the changing place of women, the advent of same-sex marriage and the evolution of a multicultural, diverse society. Taken together, these moments provide a comprehensive understanding of the history of Canada and its wider social, economic, political and cultural influences.
Structured chronologically, each chapter describes and contextualises a specific ‘moment’ to understand how it contributed to the making of modern Canada. What did the hanging of Louis Riel in 1885 mean for Canadian colonialism and its treatment of indigenous peoples? How did the arrival of the Komagata Maru ship in 1914 affect attitudes to immigration and race? Why did the 1945 Windsor strike lead to major changes in industrial relations, and what role did nationalism play in the 1995 Quebec Referendum? Though these seemingly small moments that open a window into the past, A History of Canada in 15 Moments cuts through the complexity to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Canada came to be.
Introduction 1. Joseph Howe and “Better Terms,” 1869: Making the Nation Work 2. The Hanging of Louis Riel, 1885: Managing Cultural Genocide 3. The Komagata Maru Incident, 1914: Racism, Immigration, Xenophobia 4. Quebec City’s Anti-Conscription Riots, 1918: War and Society 5 . Agnes Macphail, MP, 1921: The Changing Place of Women in Canada 6. The Windsor Auto Strike, 1945: The Rise of Social Citizenship in Canada 7. Lester Pearson and Suez, 1956: Decolonization and the British World 8. Saskatchewan Doctors’ Strike, 1962: Universal Health Care for Canada 9. Canada, 1967: The Centennial and Searching for a Better Canada 10. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982: Remaking the Nation 11. The Free Trade Election, 1988: Towards a New Nationalism for Canadians 12. The Quebec Referendum, 1995: To Leave or to Stay in Canada? 13. Same-Sex Marriage, 2005: A Changing Nation 14. Statement of Apology, 2008: Activism, Dialogue, Truth – Towards Reconciliation 15. The Freedom Convoy, 2022: Canada in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Raymond B. Blake is Professor of History at University of Regina, Canada, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is the author and editor of 20 books including Conflict and Compromise: Pre and Post-Confederation, and Where Once They Stood. Newfoundland’s Rocky Road to Confederation. Jeff Keshen is Professor of History, President and Vice-Chancellor at University of Regina, Canada. His publications include Propaganda and Censorship in Canada’s Great War; Saints, Soldiers and Sinners: Canada’s Second World War and Canada and the Two World Wars.
Reviews for A History of Canada in 15 Moments: Making and Remaking a Nation since 1867
This book is an insightful, nuanced, and refreshing re-assessment of Canadian history – one needed now more than ever. It will stimulate discussion and debate and make students want to dive even deeper into the fascinating histories that it documents. * Bradley Miller, Associate Professor & Keenleyside Chair in Canada and the World, University of British Columbia, Canada * Keshen and Blake have recalibrated Canadian history, choosing salient moments which they then deeply explain. They expand history rather than miniaturize it, and the reader will be stimulated to know more about Canada’s fascinating history. * Robert Bothwell, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada *
